It's good to see that Dodge got that time machine working.

If you think I'd part with 20,000 hard earned dollars for one of these things over an Elantra or Focus you would have to be smoking something.

Expect the Dart to top the national depreciation chart just as the Stratus once did. This thing will submerge faster than an Italian submarine.

 

stopped @ the dealership to look last night, window sticker price is $17,xxx.
so why are they asking $22k? simple economics, supply and demand. this is literally the only example of this model in the county, maybe 4 of them in the 5 county surrounding area...
once we start seeing more of 'em on the lots, then prices will be more realistic.

 

you probably saw the base starting price before the options and packages were added in and not the total.

 

A few things to consider. Every single Dart that has been sent to dealerships is identical, which means that they are red rallye models with the 1.4L turbo and a manual transmission. I havent been in any of these initial launch models so i do not know what option packages are included but if you go through the online build site for the dart, building a rallye with nothing but the 1.4L turbo brings an MSRP of $21,090. If you add the premium audio package with the 8.4" screen, the MSRP jumps to $22,670. So based on the MSRP list prices online, 22k should be right in line with the stated prices.

Also, these first models are supposed to be demonstration models and right now, they are hot commodities for dealerships. If people really want the FIRST dart in their area - they should be willing to pay a premium upcharge. I know that this isnt a viper but if with any brand new car - youd better be willing to pay top dollar for the first vehicle.

 

I really like the Dart and would love to buy one(I actually went to the dealer 2 weeks ago to order one and was told they couldn't take orders yet), but when Tucson Dodge has brand new Avengers(8 in stock for this price) for $18,995, it makes the value proposition of the Dart look quite bad. When we bought our 2003 Neon, it had a sticker price of $13,500 and we bought it for $9,900-SE with auto, a/c, CD and rear defrost were the only options it had, but still. I have decided to hold off until December when there's going to be $3k worth of incentives on one before I buy. Either that or put up with worse fuel economy and buy an Avenger for less money than the Dart.

 

p.s. The Neon we bought was a year old new car that had been sitting on the lot for a long time.

 

No. It's on the dash, a la Challenger/Ram. It's the fob deal that isn't really a key in the traditional sense, but does have a key that slides out of it for doors. I don't remember what Chrysler calls it...

 

To clarify (I had to look at the website), the Limited and R/T are keyless ignition. The SE, SXT, and Rallye are the key fob